


to the waters and the wild

by babybel



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Gen, a little bit of hurt/comfort, also on that bit in the jigsaw war where jamie's like yeah i have no idea what he is, can be read as shippy if that's your cup of tea, mostly just talking about things they should probably talk about, war games foreshadowing :(, yes this is based on that bit in the nameless city
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:42:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21937657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babybel/pseuds/babybel
Summary: "Jamie knew the Doctor was not human: he didn't know exactly what he was, though when he was growing up, he had heard tales of the legendary fairy creatures of the Unseelie Court who haunted Scotland's deepest valleys. He suspected the Doctor might be one of the dark sìth. He also knew that humans rarely came away from their adventures with the fairy folk unscathed."-Michael Scott, the Nameless City
Relationships: Second Doctor & Jamie McCrimmon
Comments: 2
Kudos: 44
Collections: Classic Who Secret Santa 2019





	to the waters and the wild

**Author's Note:**

> classic who secret santa for @marauders-on-gallifrey on tumblr, who requested "Jamie and Two getting caught in the trap of the day and waiting for Victoria or Zoe to rescue them". happy holidays! <3  
> also i HAD to write something about that quote from the nameless city cause it literally makes me crazy i love it so much  
> title from w.b. yeats' the stolen child

“They asked me what you are.” 

The Doctor stood in front of the bench Jamie sat on, trying his best to assess and fix the damage the soldiers’ questioning had done Jamie. He turned Jamie’s head gently to one side, brushing his fingers against the bruise on his cheek. 

“When they were asking me all those things,” Jamie continued, clearly trying very hard to suppress the instinct to flinch away. “They asked me that. I didn’t tell them.” 

“Because you don’t know,” the Doctor supplied, half question, half statement. He felt guilty about that sometimes, about not telling Jamie where he came from. Usually, though, there were more pressing things to feel guilty about. Now, it was these new injuries, no matter how indirectly he’d caused them. 

“No, I know,” Jamie said, being very patient with and malleable to the Doctor’s fussy ministrations. “I just- they shouldn’t know. It’s about you, isn’t it? So I’ve got to keep it safe.”

“Jamie,” the Doctor said slowly, trying to balance the conversation with patching Jamie up, “what is it you think I am?”

Jamie shifted, moving back ever so slightly to squint up at the Doctor. “Well, I know you’re a fairy. When d’you think Zoe’s going to figure out how to get this- shield thing down?” He gestured around at the forcefield composing the perimeter of their little cell. 

“A fairy?” the Doctor repeated, and he almost laughed. Not because it was funny - taking into account where and when and how Jamie was raised, it made perfect sense - but because it was flattering, and strange to hear. 

“Aye. I won’t tell anyone, don’t worry.” Jamie winced as the Doctor pressed a handkerchief to the cut above his eye. “Least of all those bastards.” 

“Jamie.” 

“Sorry.” 

“I think,” the Doctor said, because he couldn’t think of a way to actually respond, “that Zoe will have it figured out in no time. She’s- she’s such a clever girl, and she’s safe in the ship. All she really has to do is figure out how to work the density modifier and she should have the forcefield down just like that.” 

Jamie was quiet for a while as he let the Doctor rub blood from his face. Then, he said, quietly, “You know, you don’t have to trick me in order for me to stay. I’ll stay anyway, I’m… I’m staying anyway.” 

“Trick you?” The Doctor tried to summon some incredulity, but couldn’t. It was too important a moment to go into one of his silly shticks. “Jamie, you know I’d never-” Well. He had before, and he probably would again. Best not add a lie on top of that. 

“Right, but-” Jamie shrugged. “I thought you weren’t telling me what you were ‘cause you thought I’d leave.”

Satisfied that he’d done all he could with just his handkerchief, the Doctor stopped fussing over the cuts and bruises on Jamie’s face and sat down on the bench next to him. “Why is it that you’d leave if you knew? Or- why would I think that?”

“Come on, Doctor.” Jamie looked at him like he should know something he didn’t. 

“Oh, really, Jamie, you think I have time to learn the mythology of every group on every planet? I’d never get out of the library.” 

Jamie looked away from him. “Because it’s going to kill me. Travelling with you. Humans don’t walk away from adventures with fairies, everyone knows that.” 

“You think- you think I’m going to kill you,” the Doctor said, feeling suddenly very cold and trying not to process the implications of that, mind already racing to pinpoint and analyze anything he ever might have done that would make Jamie think that. 

“Not you. Just travelling with you. You know the stories.” The way Jamie said it made it clear he’d intended it as some sort of reassurance. 

The Doctor didn’t know the stories, and this was all screaming one very loud inconsistency to him. “If you really thought I’d, ah- well, that staying with me would kill you, you wouldn’t still be here. That’s not very conducive to… to self preservation…”

Jamie turned back and looked at him again. The expression on his face was almost angry. “Self preservation? What do I care about self preservation?”

“Now, Jamie-”

“No, listen, Doctor, even if you were going to kill me yourself and I knew it, d’you really think I’d leave?” Jamie was glaring at him. 

“Well, I- I’d like to think-”

“Just answer me.” 

The Doctor looked down at his hands. “No, you wouldn’t leave. I know you wouldn’t.” It made his hearts sink, because it was just begging for something to go wrong. Jamie really ought to know better. He ought to value his own life a little more and he ought to know better. 

“Aye, so you don’t have to worry about me running off.” Jamie huffed an angry little sigh. “For someone who’s good at computers and things, Zoe’s really taking her time.” 

The Doctor was quiet for a moment, watching him. There was a lot he could say; there was a lot he  _ had _ to say at some point, but maybe not now. “Jamie-”

“And I don’t want you to tell me off, alright?” Jamie mumbled. “I’m not changing my mind. I’m stuck with you.”

“For better or for worse?” the Doctor offered, trying to lighten the mood and gauge whether he could get a smile out of Jamie, whether Jamie was actually upset with him. 

Jamie laughed, looking down. “Right.” 

“I’m not a fairy.” The Doctor folded his handkerchief and tucked it back into his pocket. “I’m from another planet, I’m…” It felt like bad luck to bring up the Time Lords, and also they were something he’d very much rather never talk about again. “I’m something.”

“Aye, that you are,” Jamie replied, his joking tone in contrast with the very attentive way he watched the Doctor. “When you say you’re from another planet, are you saying you’re like how the Quarks are from another planet?”

“Well, I’m not quite a robot, I’m… I’m more like you than I am like them, but I’m very much not like you,” the Doctor tried. 

Jamie nodded, looking confused. “So you’re not a fairy, and you’re not a man.”

“Well done. We can leave it at that.” The Doctor smiled a smile he was sure Jamie could see straight through. 

“You know what planet I’m from,” Jamie said quietly. “Might be fair if you told me yours.” 

“You wouldn’t know it,” the Doctor replied. “The name wouldn’t mean anything to you.” 

“True.” Jamie shrugged, and brought a hand up to gingerly feel out the bruises on his face. 

“It’s Gallifrey.” He folded his hands in his lap and looked off at the forcefield, filled unreasonably with fear just off having said it. Before Jamie could say anything, he added, “Jamie, you know you’re very dear to me.” 

Jamie looked reluctant to let the topic shift so quickly, but after a moment he said, “I know.” 

“It hurts me very much to see you hurt.” 

“Sorry.” Jamie closed a hand on the fabric of the Doctor’s sleeve, and just held on. 

The Doctor sighed. “It isn’t your fault, and I wasn’t trying to tell you that, it’s just… you might try some of that self preservation out from time to time. Not for you, if you don’t want. For me, though.”

“Well-” Jamie looked for a second as if he was going to argue, but he blew out a breath, and his expression softened. “Alright, then.” After a moment’s silence during which he watched the Doctor with a sort of weary adoration, he asked, “Can I see your planet? Not now, I mean, but when you figure out how to fly the ship, maybe-”

“I can fly it fine,” the Doctor replied, deflecting, no punch behind the words. “And-” He looked away from Jamie, because he didn’t like to look at people when he lied to them, and if he said they’d visit Gallifrey eventually it would definitely be a lie. He found himself staring at the door, completely unobstructed. “And I think that’s a question for another time,” he finished excitedly. “Look, Zoe’s got the forcefield. How- how splendid.”

“It’s about time,” Jamie grumbled. He stood up, offering the Doctor a hand and pulling him to his feet as well. 

The Doctor started towards the door, but Jamie was still holding onto him. 

“You know, if you don’t want to bring me around you can just say it,” Jamie said quietly. “You can tell me things. I really won’t mind.”

The Doctor sighed, looking down at his shoes. Jamie was right. He wasn’t a fairy; he had no reason to rely on tricks and lies and dancing about the truth. “It’s just that it isn’t safe there,” he said finally. “And you wouldn’t like it. Too many rules.” 

“Was that so hard?”

When he looked up, he saw that Jamie was smiling, and he instinctively smiled back. “No. No, I suppose it wasn’t.” 

Jamie kept hold of his hand until they found their way back to the ship, and to Zoe. 

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr @lesbiandonnanoble :)


End file.
